Guyon Plucks Victory in the Irish Hills: Last-Lap Draft Steals Michigan Oval Thriller

Brooklyn, MI — Alex Guyon utilized a perfectly timed last-lap draft assist from a backmarker to pip teammate David Sirois at the stripe, capturing a thrilling victory in Round 6 of the Sim Gaming Expo ISR Retro Series at Michigan International Speedway. The 75-minute timed event turned the wide-open “Irish Hills” oval into a high-speed chess match where the vintage Lotus 79 machines relied heavily on aerodynamic drafts for both overtaking maneuvers and critical fuel conservation.

The green flag dropped with pole-sitter and championship leader Sirois guiding the field into Turn 1, fiercely shadowed by former IndyCar competitor Richie Hearn. The advantage proved momentary; Matt Wagner generated a massive head of steam off Turn 2, plunging to the bottom apron to bypass both front-row starters in a single corner. Mike Rigney locked onto Wagner’s gearbox, surging into second before executing a pass for the aggregate lead. While Rigney officially anchored the field out front for 15 laps, Chris Stofer provided the early fireworks, charging like a man possessed from 12th on the grid to crack the top five within the opening 20 minutes. Deeper in the pack, intense three-wide jockeying broke out as Vern Hawkins, Guyon, and David Dunwoody weaponized the track’s massive width.

The mid-race belonged to George Sandman, who mounted a spectacular comeback from the 17th starting spot. By Lap 45, Sandman had arrived at the front, locking into a fierce three-car war for the lead alongside Hugo Galaz and Chris Valenzuela. The close-quarters racing boiled over when Sandman made heavy contact with Valenzuela, sending the fan-favorite sliding into the outside wall. Miraculously, Valenzuela escaped terminal suspension damage and avoided an automated mechanical black flag. Sandman and Galaz then checked out from the pack, establishing a three-second lead by trading the top spot lap after lap. However, Sandman’s dream run disintegrated during the final green-flag pit cycle when iRacing stewards slapped him with a catastrophic 45-second pit-lane speeding penalty.

Pit road proved treacherous for other heavy hitters as teams attempted to save time by changing only the right-front tire. Stofer saw his podium hopes completely evaporate when he locked his brakes, overshooting his pit stall and hemorrhaging crucial seconds to the leaders. This left the trophy fight entirely down to the elite French-Canadian tandem of Sirois and Guyon.

The closing minutes unraveled into a high-stakes strategic duel. Guyon had executed a highly aggressive short-fill pit stop, spending a mere 12.3 seconds in his box compared to Sirois’ safer 15.9-second service. The strategic gamble allowed Guyon to blend onto the track side-by-side with Sirois, setting up a final draft-assisted sprint. Sirois held the preferred defensive line on the final lap and appeared destined for victory lane, but Guyon caught the slipstream of a lapped car down the front stretch. Guyon emerged from the pocket with a massive surge of momentum, stealing the victory by a hair to secure his first oval win of the season.